Entertainment__Fun_or_Influential

The Greeks seemed to believe that entertainment was meant to provide a person with an outlet to relieve stress. Such an assumption is flawed and would lead one to believe that the form and content of entertainment is only a matter of personal choice. However, entertainment has the underlying current of influencing what is normal and acceptable in society. Furthermore, culture is affected to the point of unsavory entertainment permeating the lives of those who avoid such forms of entertainment. Entertainment is not merely a personal choice. It is an instrument of influence on society. Young girls experience stardom and are forever changed by the experience. Sometimes the change leads them in a positive direction and other times it leads them in an opposing negative direction. In Hit Her, Baby, One More Time, Traiste states “Britney Spears embodies the disdain in which the culture holds its young women: the desire to sexualize them while young, and to degrade and punish them as they get older” (Traiste 431). Spears embarked on her journey into entertainment as an innocent young girl. However, over time she evolved into a tainted, dim reflection of her former self. It would seem that even her parents played a role in her spiraling downfall as she struggled to remain in the limelight. Tabloids cherished the young star. However, they ripped her to pieces as her life began to plunge into an abyss. Certainly, there is a high price to be paid to when one compromises. Spears popularity influenced the actions of young girls who may have seen her as a role model. It most likely would not have been detrimental for young girls to follow in her footsteps in her early days of success. In contrast, continuing to mimic her actions would have been catastrophic. Traiste goes on to chronicle a story about a moose being toyed with to the point of exhaustion and eventually death. Similarly, “It is a heart stopping sad vision and I thought of the moose when I watched Spears on the VMA’s, thought of how baited and trapped and ogled she was” (Traiste 434). Spears has definitely been influenced by the way that the media has exposed the events of her life. Sadly, other young women will experience similar demise as a result of Spears’ influence. Furthermore, even a young girl who was not allowed direct involvement with this form of entertainment would be influenced by her peers who had been exposed. The media negatively influenced Spears and as a result many young girls have been impacted. The media continues to foster the division between races and ethnic groups. African-American and Caucasian roles continue to stereotype each group. Such actions nourish the racism that exists in society. In Face of an Angel, Sterritt asks, “What do the films Bruce Almighty and the Green Mile have in common with The Family Man, The Matrix and Ghost' All feature black characters whose main function is to help a white hero through magical or supernatural means” (Steritt 452). While Hollywood is making an effort to reconcile the races, it is futile to go about it in this manner. Blacks do not observe such depictions to be humorous or obliging to race relations. On the contrary, it is condescending. However, the alternative is to continue to see blacks cast as drug addicted, sex crazed criminals. “For decades, most film historians agreed that these traditions served to reinforce the racial prejudices of their times, and that little or nothing can be said in their favor” (Steritt 452). Obviously, the motivating force must be the profits that such films reap for the benefactors. Surely, blacks are agreeable to portray these depictions of hardened criminals or unrealistic angels because the pay is good. “Why should I complain about making $7,000 a week for playing a maid'” asked Ms. McDaniel, referring to the character type that dominated her career. “If I didn’t, I’d be making $7.00 a week being one” (Steritt 452). In reality, that is a racist assumption, because that decision would most likely play out similarly across race, ethnic, and cultural lines. After all, many times one decides based on what is most beneficial to one’s self and one’s family regardless of race. The bottom line is the media continues to have a negative influence in regards to racism. As in any other area, as one generation passes the baton to the subsequent generation society will experience a shift in how the media influences culture. In Character, Jackson says, “As we get younger producers and younger people in the studios, we have a generation or several generations of people, who have lived in a society where they have had black friends. They have Asian friends. They have Hispanic friends. So, all of a sudden you see a different look in the movies, as they reflect the way younger producers and studio executives live their lives” (Jackson 455). As society learns to celebrate differences and embrace one for whom there are and not the color of their skin, the media will follow suit. It stands to reason that as there is a shift in mind-set and the generation that as experienced the shift in thinking takes the reigns there will be a shift in the way media influences culture. Jackson feels he has facilitated paving the way for others who wish to play a non typical role. As a result, it seems the media has an opportunity to alter their ways and have a positive influence on race relations. It requires a strong fortitude to be one of the pioneers who embarks on a journey against the norm. However, there seems to be those who are willing to wage war against culture and acquire their rightful position in the media. It is doubtful this would have been possible apart from the shift that a new generation has brought to the stage. “We have huge black comics. But getting a film like Eve’s Bayou made is practically impossible. For five years, no one even knew what the movie was. Nobody really knew what to do with it” (Jackson 456). The movie was a mystery, but the lead character was Black. It seems surreal that the media likely would have embraced the same movie had it been cast differently. This is another example of the negative influence the media can have on society. There needs to be a take-over in Hollywood. Not a take-over by a particular group when it comes to color and ethnicity, but by those who will be level-headed and non-biased. Furthermore, by those who lay aside all bias and choose to produce movies that will encourage diversity and foster unity. Jackson goes on to say, “I want to be able to produce movies for friends of mine who have not had the opportunity to be seen in the way I’ve been seen. They’re good at what they do, and they deserve an opportunity to be seen by a greater public” (Jackson 457). One can only hope that Jackson’s friends are from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. Maybe then the negative influence that the media currently has on racism and other biases will be abolished. A new age will dawn and the media will begin to produce movies that brings society together instead of being divisive. The media negatively influences individual celebrities when they behave toward them the way Brittney Spears was treated. They encourage bias and racism when they produce movies that depict Blacks and Asians in stereo typical roles that are demeaning. Furthermore, they affect how society views individuals and how those individuals are treated, because they shape culture with the movies they produce. People may embark into the world of media for fun and relaxation, but the reality remains that the media shapes their views and beliefs in the process. Entertainment is not just for fun. Furthermore, entertainment shapes the morals and values of people and the value placed on people.